The Beatles

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Post by Guest » Mon Jul 11, 2005 2:16 pm

I am somewhat old and I have complete recollection of the Beatles from the time they were first on the Ed Sullivan Show until they broke up and beyond.

Throughout the Sixties, they were very influential. However, their music has not held up over the years. Most of it is smarmy pop music.

John Lennon was a smart man but, unfortunately, he was a drug addict and heavily addicted to WOMAN in the form of Yoko Ono. He worshipped her absolutely.

John Lennon was a good wordsmith. Very good with language as an art. Very expressive.

But, at the time of his death, I cannot see that he was anywhere close to enlightenment. He was a rich housewife.

I have a seventeen year old and a fifteen year old. They listen to Led Zeppelin, The Kinks, Eric Clapton, Buffalo Springfield, ACDC, The Doors, Frank Zappa, Hendrix -- plus rap and country.

They think the Beatles stink -- except for Ringo, of course.

I mean, when you consider "When I'm Sixty Four" compared to "Layla" -- not for the words to the song but the musicianship -- there is no comparison.

I like much of rap but the pity is that there is very little rock left, if any. The kids have to go thirty or more years back to hear decent rock.

I just can't picture kids ever digging in the groove listening to "When I'm Sixty Four" or "Long and Winding Road."

Somewhat ironic that The Mothers "We're Only in it for the Money" holds up far better than "Sergeant Pepper's."

If I had to pick a Beatles album that I like, I reckon I would choose Rubber Soul.

I don't like being MFaizi. I want to be MKFaizi.

Faizi

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:47 pm

George Harrison was interested in religion.

Other than that, I figure he was probably a decent person.

Faizi

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:25 pm

In the interest of fairness, I listened to Strawberry Fields and I Am the Walrus.

I am the eggman
They are the eggmen
I am the walrus.

Frank Zappa did better than that and the man loathed lyrics.

No offense. The song was kind of clever. I am measuring it in terms of philosophical enlightenment. I like Tupac but I never said that he was close to enlightenment. More like semi-genius.

Strawberry Fields was somewhat better.

On the whole, I think Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is superior to both of the above. Acid notwithstanding.

Damn good acid back in the Sixties.

Also, good sound.

Faizi

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The Beatles

Post by sevens » Tue Jul 12, 2005 2:46 am

I can think of only one popular musical group that approached enlightenment. Yes, The Beatles. But, really - John Lennon and George Harrison. If you pay close attention to the lyrics of 'Strawberry Fields' and 'I am The Walrus,' you can get a sense of John's high consciousness. He was very close to the door, but remained locked out emotionally - due to an overabundance of emotion.

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Sgt. Pepper's

Post by sevens » Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:19 am

Sgt. Pepper's, with headphones - and cannabis.

The lyrical content of 'I am The Walrus' is obscure. But, it brilliantly paints an abstract collage, that melds seemlessly into the neurotic emotions found in the music.

I believe John was searching for enlightenment, during the late sixties. He definitely lacked a few essential ingredients - namely, strength in solitude: most likely due to his father's abandonment at such a young age, and the tragic death of his mother, also at a relatively young age.

...fucking Yoko.

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:46 am

...fucking Yoko.
If it had not been Yoko, it would have been some other bitch.

He was lost and looking for it.

Faizi

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DHodges
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Beatles

Post by DHodges » Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:27 pm

However, their music has not held up over the years. Most of it is smarmy pop music.
In general, I agree. There are a few Beatles songs that I can still get into, though:

Revolution 9
Helter Skelter
Happiness is a Warm Gun


A band I used to play in did a cover of Everybody's got Something to Hide Except for me and my Monkey, which was fun to play.

A lot of the Beatles material is love songs, though. In general, the whole idea of love songs just bores me to death.

One exception being the Picnic of Love album:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... c&n=507846

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:00 am

Anal Cunt is all right.

But for a really good love song, I go for Tiny Tim. Tiptoe Through the Tulips is near perfection. Next to that is "Living in the Sunlight, Loving in the Moonlight."

I am not kidding, by the way. Love that falsetto. Such a trill. Tiny was a very special person and I miss his presence in the world.

Faizi

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Wed Jul 13, 2005 11:23 am

Another great rock trill/sometimes falsetto was Roy Orbison. Who cares what he sang about. Love stinks but it's the voice, stupid.

Another great voice was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Who cares about the language or the words? The voice as an instrument can be very powerful. Nusrat -- now deceased -- was from my dead husband's town, Faisalabad. Long before Peter Gabrielle and Natural Born Killers, he used to sing for parties at my father in law's house. My father in law kicked out all dervishes, however. You whirl, you hurl. Plain and simple. Papa don't want no bags.

Also, for the inverted love song, I like Leonard Cohen. Big time bitch worshipper but burned enough to have finally let it go all to Buddhism. I like "The Master Song" and "Take this Waltz" and "The Stranger Song."

"Take this waltz, It's been dying for years."

"He wants to trade the game he knows for shelter...There's a highway that is curling just like smoke above his shoulder..When he speaks like this, you don't know what he's after..You realize, he's only advertising one more shelter.. Like any dealer, he was watching for the card that is so high and wild, he will never have to deal another.."

Then, there is Tupac. Ballad of a Dead Soldier. Incredible voice. Bitch of a voice. "Crazy world full of sin..All the niggas that want some but don't take none..Try to see me in chains..Fuck the cops..we run these streets, nigga."

I reckon ya'll might want to listen.

Faizi

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Wed Jul 13, 2005 11:25 am

Delete duplicate post

MKFaizi

Re: Sgt. Pepper's

Post by MKFaizi » Wed Jul 13, 2005 11:34 am

most likely due to his father's abandonment at such a young age, and the tragic death of his mother, also at a relatively young age.
But all human beings have that sort of shit to overcome. He was fortunate to have been a pampered boy at his Aunt Mimi's. Probably fared better with his aunt than his mother. He romanticized his mother.

My kids' dad died when the youngest was two months and the oldest two years.

But, had their father lived, they would have grown up in Pakistan. They would have been completely Islamic. Here, they can be proud of their genetic heritage without being put into marriage at age thirteen.

They have absolute freedom.

Best of both worlds.

Faizi

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Tomas
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Post by Tomas » Thu May 25, 2006 12:27 pm

I wouldn't expect the Beatles to hold up as they broke some 35 years ago.

In my early/mid 50s ... Hank Williams music was much the same way in my teen years ... just some old guy who died young.

I'm putting my dad's old 8mm home movies to video and DVD.

I have an old Ringo Starr tune (Don't Go) and a Hank Williams song (Hey Good Lookin') included in the mix of some three hours of film.
Also, have an obscure singer of little or no visibility doing the G-L-O-R-I-A song.

On occasion, when out with the guys shooting some pool and knocking back a brew or two, I'll hit the jukebox and play John Lennon's, Working Class Hero.

The Rolling Stones', Dead Flowers is another excellent tune.

Oh well, enough of Memory Lane...

Tomas (the tank)
VietNam veteran - 1971

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Thu May 25, 2006 2:01 pm

Well, I strongly recommend that you give a listen to Frank Zappa -- the early years. Best bet on song that might resonate with you is "Motherpeople" or "Let's Make the Water Turn Black."

Good pool playin' beer swillin' tunes. "Dog Breath in the Afternoon" is another favorite.

A good introduction might be "Peaches Enregalia."

Get you a little past the Stones.

Faizi

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Thu May 25, 2006 2:30 pm

I like Hank and Hank Jr and Hank III. Ever heard any of Hank III? Sounds just like his grandfather. Hank had a hidden mean streak but HanK III's streak is overt.

Hank III is Hank on steroids -- or crank.

Are you aware that Hank Williams died when he was 29?

Ever listen to David Allen Coe?

"Take this job and shove it " needs to be the battle cry of the non-outsourced non-illegal tired of taking the bullshit middle class of America. I am not pro- crony-union but I am in favor of dignity.

I am singularly tired of the capitalistic straw boss. I cannot believe the greed.

Making money is a fine thing as long as it is tempered.

Brazil runs its automobiles on ethanol. The US runs on oil because of rampant, unleashed, puritanical, hand in pocket corporate cronyism.

God is money. Jesus died for "In God We Trust."

I think all people should be free to make money. I do not think all people should be free to hurt and stymy and lay low an underclass.

Pure capitalism is close to communism.

Faizi

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Angel Ramirez
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Post by Angel Ramirez » Thu May 25, 2006 3:02 pm

Yeah, the Beatles suck. My mother practically raised me on their junk plus Cream and Led Zeppelin et cetera.

But I'm much more into the Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart and of course Frank Zappa. Robert Wyatt is also great.

I just purchased Slint's Spiderland album. I highly recommend it.

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oborden
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Post by oborden » Fri May 26, 2006 9:41 am

Glad I finally found some people who agree with me on the Beatles.

Anglagard, Taal, Opeth...progressive up your ASS!

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Fri May 26, 2006 9:53 am

My kids were raised on The Doors, Hendrix, Icetea, The Kinks, Leonard Cohen, Zappa. I think it was good for them.

Yes, I like Beefheart, too.

Faizi

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Fri May 26, 2006 10:14 am

I am old enough to have liked Velvet Underground when they existed.

I still like 'em.

Last week, I watched my son's high school "Battle of the Bands." Kind of interesting. A couple of times, I thought I was back in 1980 -- pure punk -- head banging and all that crap. Some death metal. Some original music. Some hippie throw backs. One SKA band. One Jesus Punk band -- thought they sucked, myself. Rip off for Christ.

My son's band got stage fright at the last minute and backed out. So Buster had to go on solo. I thought that took balls or confidence or something. He was playing something Pink Floyd when a dude jumped on stage to take the drums -- trying to help out. Good drummer but, alas, poor Buster was not used to that -- could not hear himself playing and stopped. Too bad. It would have been a good jam.

Well, that's the way you learn. He'll be back next year -- with a band -- or not.

Needless to say, he did not win the battle. But he had a lot of guts -- chutzpa -- Paki chutzpa.

Then, another kid called him a wetback. When the kid had to climb a ladder, Buster went by with a broom and stuck the handle in the kid's butt. Not hard enough to really hurt. Just a suggestion.

A reminder. Don't fuck with the Packacracka.

Allah hoo!

Faizi

PS -- Ya'll like Nusrat Fetah Ali Khan?

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Tomas
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Post by Tomas » Sat May 27, 2006 10:46 am

As Zappa goes, the only two tunes worthy to check out again and again are ... Going To Montana Soon and Can't Afford No Shoes.

Dat's it.


Tomas (the tank)
VietNam veteran - 1971

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Sat May 27, 2006 10:52 am

His two worst songs. Figures.

Faizi

MKFaizi

Post by MKFaizi » Sat May 27, 2006 1:19 pm

Well, I have thought carefully about it and I have come to a conclusion. As a Vietnam war vet, you owe it to your fellow veterans to listen to the entirity of "We're Only in It for the Money."

So much philosophical insight.

I spoke with a forty year old woman who has five kids who is being deployed to Iraq. Not like it ain't been done before but damn.

Kind of makes Bushie's admissions of Laura's criticisms look like so much mush.

Of course, I can remember the time when serving with the army in Iraq would have seemed like child's play compared with being a single parent. In fact, the more I think about it, the more that I think I might have volunteered for twenty years.

What a lucky break.

Faizi

R. Steven Coyle
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Post by R. Steven Coyle » Mon May 29, 2006 8:14 am

Certain Hip-hop always scatters the brain cells.

Aesop Rock
Del The Funky Homosapien
Blackalicious

Genius goods.

Tom Marshall (Co-writer, with Trey Anatasio, of Phish) is also fucking good.

Check out these lyrics :)

Cavern

Your time is near, the missions clear
Its later than we think
Before you slip into the night
You'll want something to drink
Steal away before the dawn, and
Bring us back good news
But if you've tread in primal soup
Please wipe it from your shoes

Just then a porthole pirate
Scourged the evening with his cry
And sanctuary bugs deprived
The monkey of its thigh
A dust arose and clogged my nose
Before I could blink twice
Despite the stuff that bubbled up
I gave some last advice:

The flesh from Satan's dogs
Will make the rudiments of gruel

Deduct the carrots from your pay
You worthless swampy fool

Exploding then through fields and fen
And swimming in the mire
The septic maidens gargoyle tooth
Demented me with fire
I drifted where the current chose
Afloat upon my back
And if perchance a newt slimed by
I'd stuff it in my sack

Soon I felt a bubble form, somewhere below my skin
But with handy spine of hedgehog
I removed the force within
Suzie then removed her mask
And caused a mighty stir
The angry mob responded
Taking turns at grabbing her

The foggy caverns musty grime
Appeared within my palm
I snatched Rick's fork to scrape it off
With deadly icy calm

The crowd meanwhile had taken Sue
And used her like a rag
To mop the slime from where the slug
Had slithered with the bag

In summing up, the moral seems
A little bit obscure...

Give the director a serpent deflector
A mudrat detector, a ribbon reflector
A cushion convector, a pitcher of nectar
A virile dissector, a hormone collector!

Whatever you do, take care of your shoes.
Last edited by R. Steven Coyle on Mon May 29, 2006 8:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

Cato
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Post by Cato » Mon May 29, 2006 8:25 am

Hip Hop does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Beatles!

Rock is dead. Long live rock.

R. Steven Coyle
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Post by R. Steven Coyle » Mon May 29, 2006 8:33 am

Cato wrote:Hip Hop does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Beatles!

Rock is dead. Long live rock.
Cato!

God is alive in rock. And Hip-hop rocks, too, yo.

--

What bands are you currently listening to?

Beck's "Midnight Vultures" is spinning at 0101011101.

Cato
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Post by Cato » Mon May 29, 2006 8:58 am

I despise hip hop and rap. I find them filled with nothing but the lowest common denominator, a celebration of all that is bad in life, filled with hatred, and musically empty of talent. They liberally steal from real music and offer little of worth to the music scene.

Not a big fan of metal for much of the same reasons, but at least some of that is still rock n' roll! (like I Metallica for instance)

But, I am old, so "new" bands don't do much for me.

As far as "new" goes I have liked the following bands:

-Incubus
-Smashmouth
-some of Korn


But my favorites are rarely later then the Eagles!

Floyd
Beatles
Joe Walsh
Zeppelin
the Who
Peter Gabriel
Hendricks
etc., etc.

I just cannot stand rap in any of it's low down, disgusting forms.

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